Aerosol generating device

ABSTRACT

An aerosol generating device includes a first cartridge including a delivery hole for delivering an aerosol generated from the first material, a second cartridge including chambers for accommodating a second material passing an aerosol delivered from the first cartridge therethrough and is capable of changing a relative position of the first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge, a drive device for changing the relative position of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and a controller for changing the relative position of the first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge so that at least one of the plurality of chambers passes the aerosol therethrough when a previously determined condition is satisfied.

TECHNICAL FIELD

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an aerosolgenerating device, and more particularly, to an aerosol generatingdevice configured to automatically adjust relative positions of a firstcartridge and a second cartridge.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, there is an increasing demand for an aerosol generating devicethat generates aerosol based on a non-combustion method withoutcombustion of tobacco. For example, an aerosol generating device maydeliver aerosol to the distal airway of a user by generating aerosolwith a non-combustion method or by generating aerosol from aerosolgenerating material and having the aerosol pass through a flavor mediumbefore outputting from the aerosol generating device.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

The embodiments provide an aerosol generating device that is easy touser and carry. In addition, the embodiments provide an aerosolgenerating device for generating an aerosol of high quality that maysatisfy various needs of consumers.

Solution to Problem

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aerosolgenerating device that may solve various problems of the related art.

Technical goals to be achieved by embodiments of the present disclosureare not limited to the above-described goals, and goals that are notmentioned will be clearly understood by one of ordinary skill in the artfrom the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment includes a firstcartridge configured to accommodate a first material therein andincluding a delivery hole configured to deliver an aerosol generatedfrom the first material, a second cartridge including a plurality ofchambers for accommodating a second material through which the aerosoldelivered from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to theoutside, wherein a relative position of the first cartridge with regardto the second cartridge is changeable so that at least one of theplurality of chambers corresponds to the delivery hole, a drive deviceconfigured to change the relative position of the first cartridge withregard to the second cartridge by moving at least one of the firstcartridge and the second cartridge, and a controller configured tochange the relative position of the first cartridge with regard to thesecond cartridge to cause the aerosol to pass through the at least oneof the plurality of chambers by operating the drive device when apreviously determined condition is achieved.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

An aerosol generating device according to the above-described embodimentmay be easily carried and used because a first cartridge accommodating afirst material and a second cartridge accommodating a second materialmay be handled as one integrated device.

In addition, even when a first cartridge of an aerosol generating deviceis designed to include a large amount of a first material, the relativepositions of a first cartridge and a second cartridge may beautomatically changed by a drive device to select chambers used forsupplying an aerosol, and the effect of replacing the second cartridgeincluding the second material with a new second material may be obtainedwithout replacing the second cartridge including the second material.

In addition, because the relative positions of a first cartridge and asecond cartridge may be adjusted to select chambers used for supplyingan aerosol, the effect of replacing a cartridge for a medium with a newmedium may be obtained without replacing the cartridge for the medium.

In addition, chambers of the second cartridge may include differenttypes of the second materials so that a user may select one of thechambers to select a desired second material, and thus, the user mayfreely enjoy aerosols with various flavors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol generating device accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a separate state of some componentsof the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol generatingdevice according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a connectionrelationship between some components of the aerosol generating deviceaccording to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing some components of anaerosol generating device according to another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing one operation state of theaerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing another operationstate of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shownin FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing some components of anaerosol generating device according to another embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a method of generatingan aerosol performed by an aerosol generating device according to theembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 8 .

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment includes: afirst cartridge configured to accommodate a first material therein andincluding a delivery hole configured to deliver an aerosol generatedfrom the first material; a second cartridge including a plurality ofchambers for accommodating a second material through which the aerosoldelivered from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to theoutside, wherein a relative position of the first cartridge with regardto the second cartridge is changeable so that at least one of theplurality of chambers corresponds to the delivery hole; a drive deviceconfigured to change the relative position of the first cartridge withregard to the second cartridge by moving at least one of the firstcartridge and the second cartridge; and a controller configured tochange the relative position of the first cartridge with regard to thesecond cartridge to cause the aerosol to pass through the at least oneof the plurality of chambers by operating the drive device when apreviously determined condition is satisfied.

The first cartridge may further include a heater configured to perform aheating operation to heat the first material, and the previouslydetermined condition for the controller to operate the drive deviceincludes a cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater forgenerating the aerosol, or a combination of the cumulative time of theheating operation of the heater and a heating temperature of the heater.

The aerosol generating device may further include: a puff sensorconfigured to detect a change in fluid pressure or flow amount due to aflow of a fluid flowing inside the aerosol generating device, whereinthe previously determined condition for the controller to operate thedrive device includes any one or any combination of a number of puffoperations determined based on a signal detected by the puff sensor anda cumulative time of the puff operations.

The aerosol generating device may further include: a heater configuredto perform a heating operation to heat the first material of the firstcartridge; and an input device configured to generate an input signal byreceiving an input operation of a user for starting the heatingoperation of the heater, wherein the previously determined condition forthe controller to operate the drive device includes a usage timedetermined based on the input signal of the input device.

The first cartridge may include a plurality of reservoirs partitioned toeach include the first material, and a plurality of delivery holes thatare arranged to correspond to the plurality of reservoirs, respectively.The relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the secondcartridge is changed so that a position of the at least one of theplurality of chambers corresponds to a position of any one of theplurality of delivery holes.

Any one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is rotatablycoupled to another one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge,and the drive device is further configured to rotate any one of thefirst cartridge and the second cartridge.

Any one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is coupled toanother one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge to bemovable linearly, and the drive device is further configured to linearlymove any one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge.

The aerosol generating device may further include an informationgenerator configured to notify a notification for a change in positionof the plurality of chambers.

The controller may be further configured to change the relative positionof the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge so that aposition of one of the plurality of chambers is aligned with a positionof the delivery hole.

The controller may be further configured to change the relative positionof the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge so thatadjacent chambers of the plurality of chambers overlap the delivery holeat a same time.

The aerosol generating device may further include: an aerosol generatingassembly that includes the first cartridge and the second cartridge thatare integrally coupled, and a case that may include an accommodationpassage that accommodates the aerosol generating assembly.

The aerosol generating assembly may further include a heater installedin the first cartridge to heat the first material, and the case furtherincludes an electric terminal connected to the heater to supply power.

The case may further include a heater for heating the first materialsupplied from the second cartridge of the aerosol generating assemblyaccommodated in the accommodation passage.

MODE FOR THE INVENTION

With respect to the terms used to describe the various embodiments ofthe present disclosure, general terms which are currently and widelyused are selected in consideration of functions of structural elementsin the various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, themeaning of the terms can be provided according to intention, a judicialprecedence, the appearance of a new technology, and the like. Inaddition, in certain cases, a term which is not commonly used can beselected. In such a case, the meaning of the term will be described indetail at the corresponding portion in the description of the presentdisclosure. Therefore, the terms used to describe the variousembodiments of the present disclosure should be defined based on themeaning of the terms and the descriptions provided herein.

In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word“comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” will beunderstood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not theexclusion of any other elements. In addition, the terms “-er”, “-or”,and “module” described in the specification mean units for processing atleast one function and operation and can be implemented by hardwarecomponents or software components and combinations thereof.

As used herein, expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding alist of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modifythe individual elements of the list. For example, the expression, “atleast one of a, b, and c,” should be understood as including only a,only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a,b, and c.

If one component or layer is mentioned to be “over,” “above,” “connectedto,” or “combined with” another component or layer, the one component orlayer is arranged to be over, above, connected to, or combined with theother component or layer with or without an intervening component(s) orlayer(s). In contrast, if one component or layer is mentioned to be“directly over,” “directly above,” “directly connected to,” or “directlycombined with” another component or layer, there is no additionalcomponents or layers between the components or layers. In thedisclosure, the same reference numbers may indicate the same components.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedmore fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichnon-limiting example embodiments of the present disclosure are shownsuch that one of ordinary skill in the art may easily work the presentdisclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as beinglimited to the example embodiments set forth herein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol generating device accordingto an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a separate stateof some components of the aerosol generating device according to theembodiment shown in FIG. 1 , and FIG. 3 is a longitudinalcross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device according to theembodiment shown in FIG. 1 .

The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIGS.1 to 3 may supply an aerosol to a user by heating an aerosol generatingmaterial with a heater that operates by using electricity, an inductivemagnetic field, or ultrasonic waves, and thereby generating the aerosol.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the aerosol generating device includes a firstcartridge 10 accommodating a first material 12 and including a deliveryhole 11 for delivering an aerosol generated from the first material 12,and a second cartridge 20 including a plurality of chambers 21 foraccommodating a second material 22 through which the aerosol deliveredfrom the first cartridge 10 passes and is discharged to the outside ofthe aerosol generating device.

The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are integrated witheach other to form an aerosol generating assembly 5 to be handled as asingle component.

The aerosol generating device may include a case 7 including anaccommodation passage 7 a capable of accommodating the aerosolgenerating assembly 5. The case 7 may include a display device 7 f fortransmitting information to a user and a display lamp 7 d fortransmitting a notification related to an operating state of the aerosolgenerating device to the user, wherein the display device 7 f and thedisplay lamp 7 d are arranged on an outer surface of the case 7. Thedisplay device 7 f and the display lamp 7 d may be examples ofinformation generators that may notify various types of notifications tothe user, and an information generator may be in the form of, forexample, a speaker or a vibration generator.

In addition, the case 7 may include an input device 95 that may bemanipulated by the user and generates a user input signal by detectingthe user's manipulation.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 , the case 7 may have anapproximately rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the aerosolgenerating assembly 5 may have a cylindrical shape that extends long inan axial direction. However, embodiments of the present disclosure arenot limited to the shapes of the case 7 and the aerosol generatingassembly 5 as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 . For example, the case 7 mayhave other shapes such as a cylindrical shape that extends long in theaxial direction, a cylindrical shape having an elliptical cross-section,a flat cylindrical shape, a regular cube, and a rectangularparallelepiped. In addition, the aerosol generating assembly 5 may haveother shapes such as a rectangular parallelepiped shape a regular cube,and the like.

The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may be coupled toeach other so that the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 andthe second cartridge 20 may be changed. In the embodiment shown in FIGS.1 through 3 , the second cartridge 20 rotates relative to the firstcartridge 10 so that the relative positions of the first cartridge 10and the second cartridge 20 may be changed. The first cartridge 10 mayhave a cylindrical shape as a whole and include a position fixingsurface 10 s which is at least partially formed differently from theextension direction of the cylindrical surface.

The accommodation passage 7 a of the case 7 may be formed as a hollowcylindrical path that extends long to accommodate the aerosol generatingassembly 5. A position maintenance surface 7 s may be formed on at leasta portion of the accommodation passage 7 a to be different from theextension direction of the cylindrical surface of an inner wall surfaceof the accommodation passage 7 a so as to have a shape corresponding tothe position fixing surface 10 s of the first cartridge 10.

When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is inserted into theaccommodation passage 7 a of the case 7, the position maintenancesurface 7 s comes into contact with the position fixing surface 10 s,and accordingly, the position of the first cartridge 10 may be stablymaintained with respect to the case 7. That is, when the secondcartridge 20 rotates with respect to the first cartridge 10, thepositing fixing surface 10 s of the first cartridge 10 is supported bythe position maintenance surface 7 s so that a state in which the firstcartridge 10 does not rotate but is fixed to the case 7, may be stablymaintained.

In addition, when the aerosol generating assembly 5 is inserted into theaccommodation passage 7 a of the case 7, the position maintenancesurface 7 s and the position fixing surface 10 s may align the relativeposition of an axial center of the aerosol generating assembly 5 withrespect to an axial center of the accommodation passage 7 a. That is,(the angular position of) the position fixing surface 10 s of the firstcartridge 10 and (the angular position of) the position maintenancesurface 7 s of the accommodation passage 7 a of the aerosol generatingassembly 5 need to correspond to each other so that the aerosolgenerating assembly 5 may be inserted into the accommodation passage 7 aof the case 7.

The case 7 may include an electrical terminal 50 d that is arranged atan end of the accommodation passage 7 a and supplies electricity to thefirst cartridge 10. When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is alignedwith respect to the accommodation passage 7 a so that the positionfixing surface 10 s of the first cartridge 10 and the positionmaintenance surface 7 s of the accommodation passage 7 a of the aerosolgenerating assembly 5 correspond to each other, the electrical terminal50 d may be accurately and electrically connected to the first cartridge10.

Embodiments are not limited by the coupling structure of the firstcartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, and the first cartridge 10 andthe second cartridge 20 may be rotatably coupled to each other by usingvarious coupling structures. For example, the first cartridge 10 mayrotate with respect to the second cartridge 20 in a state in which theposition of the second cartridge 20 is fixedly maintained at the case 7by modifying the structure of the aerosol generating assembly 5 shown inFIGS. 1 through 3 . Alternatively, each of the first cartridge 10 andthe second cartridge 20 may rotate so that the relative positions of thefirst cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may be changed.

The case 7 may include an atomizer 50 a that generates the aerosol, andthe first cartridge 10 may deliver the aerosol that is generated fromthe atomizer 50 a, to the second cartridge 20.

The first cartridge 10 may accommodate the first material 12 therein.The first material 12 may be, for example, a liquid or gel material. Thefirst material 12 may be maintained in a liquid state by beingimpregnated with a porous material such as a sponge or cotton inside thefirst cartridge 10.

The first material 12 may be a liquid material and may include, forexample, a tobacco-containing material or a non-tobacco materialincluding a volatile tobacco flavor component.

The first material 12 may include, for example, water, a solvent,ethanol, plant extract, spices, flavorings, or a vitamin mixture.

The spices of the first material 12 may include menthol, peppermint,spearmint, and various fruit-flavored ingredients, but are not limitedthereto. The flavorings may include ingredients capable of providingvarious flavors or tastes to a user.

Vitamin mixtures of the first material 12 may be a mixture of at leastone of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but are notlimited thereto.

Also, the first material 12 may include an aerosol forming substance,such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

The atomizer 50 a for generating an aerosol by heating the firstmaterial 12 of the first cartridge 10 and a controller 70 may be mountedunder the accommodation passage 7 a in the case 7. The controller 70 mayinclude a battery for supplying power to the atomizer 50 a, a controlchip or a control circuit board for controlling an operation of theatomizer 50 a, and so on.

The atomizer 50 a may include a wick 52 that absorbs the first material12 from the first cartridge 10 and holds the first material 12, a heater51 that is wound around the wick 52 or is in contact with the wick 52 oris arranged adjacent to the wick 52 to generate an aerosol by heatingthe first material 12, and an aerosol generating chamber 50 c thatsurrounds the heater 51 to generate an atmosphere for generating anaerosol.

The atomizer 50 a may generate an aerosol by converting a phase of anaerosol generating material into a gaseous phase. The aerosol may referto a gas in which vaporized particles generated from an aerosolgenerating material are mixed with air.

The heater 51 may be an electrically resistive heating element thatgenerates heat with power supplied from the controller 70. The atomizer50 a includes an electrically resistive heating element, but theembodiments are not limited by a configuration of the atomizer 50 a. Theatomizer 50 a may also generate an aerosol by, for example, anultrasonic method or an induction heating method.

The first cartridge 10 may include the delivery hole 11 that extends inan extension direction of the first cartridge 10 and delivers anaerosol. The aerosol generating chamber 50 c may deliver the aerosolgenerated by the heater 51 to the delivery hole 11 of the firstcartridge 10. Accordingly, the aerosol supplied from the aerosolgenerating chamber 50 c may be delivered to the second cartridge 20through the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10.

The second cartridge 20 may be disposed to rotate with respect to thefirst cartridge 10 and include a plurality of chambers 21 which aresequentially positioned along the rotation direction of the secondcartridge 20, and a second material 22, which is accommodated in each ofthe plurality of chambers 21 and through which the aerosol passes.

The second material 22 may be in a solid state, and may include, forexample, a powder or a granule which is a collection of small-sizedparticles.

The second material 22 may include, for example, a tobacco-containingmaterial including a volatile tobacco flavor component, or may includeany one component of additives such as flavors, a wetting agent, and/ororganic acid, a flavored material such as menthol or a moisturizer,plant extract, spices, flavorings, and a vitamin mixture, or a mixtureof these ingredients.

The spices of the second material 22 may include menthol, peppermint,spearmint, and various fruit-flavored ingredients, but are not limitedthereto.

The spices of the second material 22 may include menthol, peppermint,spearmint, and various fruit-flavored ingredients, but are not limitedthereto. The flavorings of the second material 22 may includeingredients capable of providing various flavors or tastes to the user.

The second cartridge 20 may include a plurality of chambers 21sequentially arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a rotationdirection of the second cartridge 20. The plurality of chambers 21 maybe partitioned independently from each other by a partition wall.

FIG. 2 shows three chambers 21, but the embodiments are not limited inthe number of chambers 21, and the number of chambers 21 may be 2, 4, ormore.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the first cartridge 10 may include a rotationshaft 40 protruding upward. The rotation shaft 40 may protrude from thefirst cartridge 10 and extend upward, and the second cartridge 20 may berotatably coupled to the rotation shaft 40.

A mouthpiece 26 including an outlet 26 e for discharging an aerosolpassing through the second material 22 of at least one of the chambers21 to the outside may be coupled to an upper portion of the secondcartridge 20. A top plate 27 that covers upper end portions of thechambers 21 may be arranged on the chambers 21. The upper plate 27 mayinclude upper through-holes 27 p through which an aerosol passes.

A flow guide 29 may be coupled to an upper end portion of the rotationshaft 40 protruding from an upper surface of the upper plate 27. Theflow guide 29 may be arranged inside the mouthpiece 26 to guide a flowof an aerosol passing through the second material 22 of the plurality ofchambers 21 to the outlet 26 e of the mouthpiece 26. The flow guide 29may include a plurality of wings corresponding to the plurality ofchambers 21, respectively.

At least one of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20may correspond to the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 bychanging relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the secondcartridge 20 in a state in which the first cartridge 10 and the secondcartridge 20 are coupled to each other. Accordingly, an aerosoldischarged from the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 may passthrough the second material 22 accommodated in the chamber, among theplurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20, which correspondsto the delivery hole 11. While the aerosol passes through the secondmaterial 22, a property of the aerosol may change.

The aerosol generating device may further include a drive device 60 forgenerating a drive force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10and the second cartridge 20. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 , the drivedevice 60 includes a motor 61 that is arranged inside the case 7 and isoperated by an electrical signal and a gear 62 that transfers the driveforce of the motor 61 to the second cartridge 20. A gear surface 20 gmay be provided outside the second cartridge 20 to extend in a rotationdirection of the second cartridge 20.

When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is mounted on the case 7, thegear surface 20 g of the second cartridge 20 may be coupled to the gear62. When an electrical signal from the controller 70 is applied to themotor 61 of the drive device 60, a shaft of the motor 61 rotates, andthereby, a drive force of the motor 61 may be transferred to the gearsurface 20 g of the second cartridge 20. Accordingly, the drive device60 may rotate the second cartridge 20 with respect to the firstcartridge 10.

The embodiments are not limited to the configuration of the drive device60 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , and for example, the drive device 60 may beconnected to the first cartridge 10 to rotate the first cartridge 10. Inaddition, the gear 62 of the drive device 60 may be replaced withvarious power transmission elements such as a belt, a sprocket, and thelike.

Here, an operation state that the position of at least one of theplurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to theposition of the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10, may includeall of the state where the position of any one of the plurality ofchambers 21 corresponds to the position of the delivery hole 11 of thefirst cartridge 10 and the state where the positions of two adjacentchambers 21 of the plurality of chambers 21 correspond to the positionof the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the second cartridge 20 includes a firstmark 91 provided on an outer surface thereof. The second cartridge 20may include the plurality of chambers 21 therein, and the first mark 91of the second cartridge 20 are formed at positions corresponding to therespective chambers 21.

The first cartridge 10 may include a second mark 92 that is arranged onan outer surface of the first cartridge 10 and may be used as areference position for the first mark 91 of the second cartridge 20.Accordingly, by matching the first mark 91 of the second cartridge 20and the second mark 92 of the first cartridge 10 each other, a positionof at least one of the plurality of chambers 21 may be aligned with thedelivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 for discharging an aerosol.

Also, the user may check the positions of the first mark 91 of thesecond cartridge 20 and the second mark 92 of the first cartridge 10 toidentify information of a chamber (also referred to as “a current usagechamber”) through which the aerosol currently passes, among the chambers21 of the second cartridge 20.

A signal generator 97 may be disposed between the first cartridge 10 andthe second cartridge 20, and may indicate a type of the second material22 included in the chamber through which the aerosol currently passes,among the plurality of chambers 21, according to the relative positionsof the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20.

The signal generator 97 may include a transmitter 97 a arranged in thesecond cartridge 20 and a receiver 97 b arranged in the first cartridge10 to detect the transmitter 97 a. The embodiments are not limited toarrangements or the number of the transmitter 97 a and the receiver 97b, and for example, the transmitter 97 a may also be arranged in thefirst cartridge 10, and the receiver 97 b may also be arranged in thesecond cartridge 20.

The transmitter 97 a and the receiver 97 b of the signal generator 97may include, for example, any one or any combination of an opticalsensor such as a photo coupler, a magnetic sensor for detecting amagnetic force by using a Hall effect, an electrical resistance sensorfor detecting a change in electrical resistance.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3 , a puff sensor 79 p is arranged on a pathalong which an aerosol flows in the case 7. The puff sensor 79 p maydetect a flow phenomenon of an aerosol generated according to the user'saerosol inhalation operation. The puff sensor 79 p may be connected tothe delivery hole 11, for example, to detect fluctuations in pressure offluid, i.e., a fluid including the aerosol flowing through the deliveryhole 11 or flow rate according to the flow of air, and generate asignal. The puff sensor 79 p may be arranged in a pressure sensing hole79 s connected to the delivery hole 11.

When using the aerosol generating device described above, an aerosol mayflow from the first cartridge 10 to the plurality of chambers 21 of thesecond cartridge 20, and then may pass through the second material 22accommodated in the plurality of chambers 21. The second material 22 mayimpart flavors to an aerosol. The aerosol that passes through the secondmaterial 22 and includes sufficient flavors may pass through the upperthrough hole 27 p of the upper plate 27 disposed at an upper portion ofthe chambers 21 and then may be discharged to the outside of the aerosolgenerating device through the mouthpiece 26.

When a previously determined condition is achieved, the controller 70may operate the drive device 60, thereby changing the relative positionsof the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 so that at leastone of the chambers 21 may pass through the aerosol delivered from thefirst cartridge 10. That is, the second material 22 included in thechambers 21 of the second chamber 20 has a pre-set usage time inrelation to an operation of passing the aerosol, and when an actualusage time used to perform the operation of passing the aerosol throughthe second material 22 reaches the pre-set usage time, the positions ofthe chambers through which the aerosol passes, need to be changed.

The controller 70 may change a relative position of the second cartridge20 with respect to the first cartridge 10, thereby selecting anotherchamber 21 or an adjacent chamber 21 among the plurality of chambers 21of the second cartridge 20 to allow an aerosol to pass therethrough.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a connectionrelationship between some components of the aerosol generating deviceaccording to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 .

The controller 70 shown in FIG. 4 may be implemented by any one or anycombination of a circuit board arranged inside the case 7 shown in FIGS.1 and 3 , a semiconductor chip attached to the circuit board, softwareinstalled on the semiconductor chip or the circuit board, a processor, amicroprocessor, and a control processing unit (CPU).

The controller 70 includes an atomization controller 71 for controllingthe atomizer 50 a to control the amount, a temperature, or so on ofaerosols to be generated; a sensor controller (including a sensing datareceiver) 74 for receiving a signal from a sensor, which detects achange in a rotational position of the second cartridge 20 for the firstcartridge 10, such as, a temperature sensor 79 t that detects atemperature associated with the atomizer, a puff sensor 79 p thatdetects a change in pressure or speed of air generated when a userinhales an aerosol, or a signal generator 97 shown in FIG. 2 detectingthe rotation position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to thefirst cartridge 10; an information controller 75 for controlling aninformation generator 96 that provides information a notification to auser; a user input receiver 76 for receiving a user input signal fromthe input device 95, which is a user input device, such as, a button, atouch screen, an input button that detects an input operation of a user;an input/output controller 73 for exchanging data with a storage (e.g.,a memory) 78 that includes or stores information on a type of a firstmaterial in the first cartridge 10 or a second material in the secondcartridge 20, a temperature profile for controlling an operationtemperature of the atomizer, information on a user, and so on; a mediumdeterminer 72 for determining a type of a medium currently being usedbased on a signal received from the signal generator 97; and a drivecontroller 77 for controlling an operation of the drive device 60.

The controller 70 described above may start or stop an operation of theatomizer by detecting an inhalation of a user. In addition, thecontroller 70 may determine the type of the medium currently being usedbased on the signal received from the signal generator 97 and control anoperation temperature or an operation time of the atomizer to besuitable for the type of medium.

The controller 70 may operate the drive device 60 when a previouslydetermined condition is achieved. The previously determined conditionfor changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and thesecond cartridge 20 as the controller 70 operates the drive device 60may include a cumulative time of a heating operation in which a heatergenerates heat to generate an aerosol, or a combination of thecumulative time of the heating operation of the heater and a heatingtemperature of the heater.

When the previously determined condition is achieved, the controller 70may first generate a notification for notifying that relative positionsof the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 need to be changedthrough the information generator 96. When a user identifies thenotification and operates the input device 95, the controller 70 mayoperate the drive device 60 based on an input signal received from theinput device 95 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge10 and the second the cartridge 20.

When the previously determined condition includes a cumulative time of aheating operation of a heater, the controller 70 may calculate theamount of electrical currents or the amount of power supplied to theheater by the atomization controller 71 or may calculate the cumulativetime of the heating operation of the heater by summing the amount oftimes that the electrical current is supplied to the heater. Forexample, in a case in which a time at which flavors may be imparted toan aerosol while the aerosol passes through the second material 22included in one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 ispreviously determined as n minutes, when the cumulative time of theheating operation of the heater reaches the n minutes, the controller 70may determine that use of the chamber through which an aerosol passeshas to be terminated and change the relative position of the secondcartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10, and thus, it ispossible to select a new chamber for passing the aerosol therethroughfrom among the chambers 21.

The heating operation of the heater may include a main heating operationof generating heat at a temperature sufficient to vaporize the firstmaterial of the first cartridge 10, and a preliminary heating operationof generating heat in a temperature range lower than a temperature rangecorresponding to the main heating operation. The heating operation ofthe heater included in the previously determined condition for thecontroller 70 to operate the drive device 60 may be the main heatingoperation.

When the previously determined condition includes a combination of thecumulative time of the heating operation of the heater and the heatingtemperature of the heater, the previously determined conditions may bemore useful when the heating operation of the heater includes the mainheating operation and the preliminary heating operation. For example, ina case in which a time during which the second material 22 included inone of the chambers 21 can pass an aerosol therethrough and impartflavors to the aerosol is previously determined as n minutes, thecontroller 70 may calculate a cumulative time of the heating operationof the heater only when the heating temperature of the heater reaches atemperature corresponding to the main heating operation.

The previously determined condition for the controller 70 to operate thedrive device 60 to change relative positions of the first cartridge 10and the second cartridge 20 may include any one or any combination ofthe number of puff operations determined based on a signal detected bythe puff sensor 79 p and the cumulative times of the puff operations.When an intensity of the signal detected by the puff sensor 79 p exceedsa previously determined threshold, the controller 70 may determine thatan effective inhalation operation has been performed by a user, therebycalculating the number of puff operations.

When the previously determined condition includes the number of puffoperations, the controller 70 may calculate the number of puffoperations performed for the chamber through which an aerosol currentlypasses, among the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20, based on thesignal generated from the puff sensor 79 p. In this case, the controller70 may simply calculate the number of puff operations based on thesignal of the puff sensor 79 p by ignoring the cumulative time of thepuff operations in which a user continuously performs an inhalationoperation of inhaling an aerosol.

For example, in a case in which the number of puff operations in whichflavor is imparted to an aerosol while the aerosol passes through thesecond material 22 included in one of the chambers 21 of the secondcartridge 20 is previously determined as m, when the number of puffoperations reaches m, the controller 70 may determine that use of thechamber for passing the aerosol therethrough has to be terminated andchange the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect tothe first cartridge 10, and thus, it is possible to select a new chamberthrough which the aerosol passes from among the chambers 21.

The controller 70 may determine a position changing time of the secondcartridge 20 for selecting a new chamber based on the use environment ofthe aerosol generating device or an inhalation habit of a user. To thisend, a previously determined condition may include a cumulative time ofthe puff operations or a combination of the number of puff operationsand the cumulative time of the puff operations.

The operation when the previously determined condition includes thecombination of the number of puff operations and the cumulative time ofthe puff operations may be as follows. For example, in a case in whichthe number of puff operations that impart flavors to an aerosol thatpasses through the second material 22 of a current usage chamber (amongthe plurality of the chambers 21), is set to m, and the cumulative timeof the puff operations is set to p minutes, as the previously determinedcondition for selecting a new chamber, the controller 70 may determineto stop using the current usage chamber, when both a first conditionthat the number of puff operations reaches m times and a secondcondition that the cumulative time of puff operations reaches p minutesare satisfied. Accordingly, even when the number of puff operationsreaches m times based on a signal from the puff sensor 79 p, when thecumulative time of the puff operations does not reach the p minutes, thecontroller 70 may maintain the position of the chamber through which anaerosol currently passes until the cumulative time of the puffoperations reaches the p minutes, and thereby, the number of puffoperations may reach (m+x) times. As a new way of changing the operationconditions, even when only one of the condition for the number of puffoperations to reach m and the condition for the cumulative time of puffoperation to reach the P minutes are satisfied, it may be determinedthat the controller 70 should terminate the use of the chamber throughwhich an aerosol currently passes.

A previously determined condition for the controller 70 to operate thedrive device 60 to change relative positions of the first cartridge 10and the second cartridge 20 may include a usage time determined based onan input signal generated when the input device 95 receives an input ofa user.

If the previously determined condition includes the usage timedetermined based on the input signal of the input device 95, thepreviously determined condition may be more useful when the user maydirectly start an operation of a heater. For example, according to theaerosol generating device, when a user operates the input device 95 forthe purpose of satisfying a user's taste or improving convenience, aheater of the atomizer may not perform a separate preheating operationbut the heater may be immediately activated, and thus, a function ofperforming the main heating operation at high speed may be provided. Inthis case, the previously determined condition includes a usage timedetermined based on an input signal of the input device 95, and when theusage time when the atomizer operates according to a users operationreaches the previously determined reference usage time, the controller70 may determine to terminate the use of the current usage chamber andchange relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to thefirst cartridge 10, and thereby, a new chamber through which an aerosolpasses may be selected from among the chambers 21.

The previously determined condition for the controller 70 to operate thedrive device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge10 and the second cartridge 20 may include any one or any combination ofthe number of puff operations determined based on a signal detected bythe puff sensor 79 p and the cumulative time of the puff operations.When an intensity of the signal detected by the puff sensor 79 p exceedsa previously determined threshold, the controller 70 may determine thatan effective inhalation operation is performed by a user, therebycalculating the number of puff operations.

In the above description, characters such as m, n, p, and x whichindicate a time or number of times may refer to integers, real numbers,or a length of time.

The previously determined condition for the controller 70 to operate thedrive device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge10 and the second cartridge 20 may include a selection condition that atleast one of the chambers 21 is selected to be used, based on an inputsignal generated when the input device 95 receives an input of a user.

The chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may contain the secondmaterial 22 having different types of media or different particle sizes,and the controller 70 causes the display lamp 7 d to emit light, changea luminous color, or display information on the display device 7 f,thereby providing information on the second material 22 included in thechamber currently aligned in the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge10, among the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20.

When a user operates the input device 95 and selects a desired chamberfrom among the chambers 21, the controller 70 may determine that theselection condition for a user to select at least one of the chambers 21is satisfied based on an input signal from the input device 95, therebychanging the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the secondcartridge 20.

When using the aerosol generating device described above, a user rotatesthe second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 beforemounting the aerosol generating assembly 5 on the case 7 so that atleast one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 is placed at aposition corresponding to the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge10, and thus, a rotational position of the second cartridge 20 may beadjusted. After adjusting the relative positions of the first cartridge10 and the second cartridge 20, the user may be able to mount theaerosol generating assembly 5 on the case 7.

It is possible to modify this operating method. In another embodiment,the user may be allowed to mount the aerosol generating assembly 5 onthe case 7 without needing to adjust the relative positions of the firstcartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. For example, the drive device60 built in the case 7 automatically rotates the second cartridge 20 toautomatically adjust the relative positions of the first cartridge 10and the second cartridge 20 to an initial position for generating anaerosol. The ‘initial position’ may be a position at which a position ofany one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to aposition of the delivery hole 11.

In a state in which a position of at least one of the chambers 21 of thesecond cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of the delivery hole 11of the first cartridge 10, a user may inhale an aerosol through themouthpiece 26.

The aerosol generating assembly 5 of the aerosol generating device maybe handled as a single device in which the first cartridge 10 foraccommodating the first material 12 and the second cartridge 20 foraccommodating the second material 22 are integrated with each other,thereby being easily carried and used.

In addition, even if the first cartridge 10 of the aerosol generatingdevice is designed to include a large amount of the first material 12,the second cartridge 20 may be automatically rotated by the drive device60 to select the chambers 21 to be used for supplying an aerosol, andthus, it is possible to obtain an effect of replacing the secondmaterial 22 with a new material without replacing the second cartridgeincluding the second material 22.

In addition, the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may includedifferent types of second materials 22. For example, even when thechambers 21 includes the second material 22 having different particlesizes or different flavor properties, the controller 70 may identify anusage chamber, among the chambers 21, currently in use to pass theaerosol by being aligned to correspond to the delivery hole 11 based ona signal generated by the signal generator 97. Because information onthe usage chamber identified by the controller 70 and information on thesecond material 22 included in the usage chamber may be provided to auser, the user may select a desired second material 22 by selecting oneof the chambers 21, thereby freely enjoying aerosols with variousflavors.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing some components of anaerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

In the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 5 , an aerosol generating assembly 5 may include a first cartridge10 and a second cartridge 20 rotatably coupled to the first cartridge10. A drive device 60 may be installed in the first cartridge 10, and asthe drive device 60 rotates the second cartridge 20, a relative positionof the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may bechanged.

The first cartridge 10 may include a plurality of reservoirs partitionedto accommodate the first materials 12, respectively, and a plurality ofdelivery holes 11 arranged to correspond to the plurality of reservoirs.In the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 5 , although the first cartridge 10 includes two reservoirs and twodelivery holes 11, embodiments are not limited to the configuration ofthe first cartridge 10, and the number of reservoirs and the number ofdelivery holes 11 may be variously changed.

Aerosols generated when the first materials 12 accommodated in theplurality of reservoirs may be delivered to the second cartridge 20through the plurality of delivery holes 11 of the first cartridge 10.When an aerosol is generated in the first cartridge 10, the firstmaterials 12 of all the reservoirs of the first cartridge 10 may bevaporized at the same time, and if necessary, the first material 12accommodated in only one of the plurality of reservoirs may be vaporizedor a part of the plurality of reservoirs may be vaporized.

The second cartridge 20 may include a plurality of chambers 21 foraccommodating the second material 22 through which the aerosol deliveredfrom the first cartridge 10 passes and is discharged to the outside. Thefirst cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may be integrated witheach other and integrally coupled to each other to be handled as onepart, thereby forming the aerosol generating assembly 5.

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing an operation stateof the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 5 .

The second cartridge 20 may be rotated by a drive device so that therelative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the firstcartridge 10 may be changed. As shown in FIG. 6 , a rotational positionof the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may bealigned so that a position of one of the chambers 21 of the secondcartridge 20 may correspond to a position of one of the delivery holes11. In the aligned state shown in FIG. 6 , one of the chambers 21 of thesecond cartridge 20 may pass an aerosol delivered from one of thedelivery holes 11 of the first cartridge 10 therethrough, therebychanging characteristics of an aerosol.

FIG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing another operationstate of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shownin FIG. 5 .

When the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect tothe first cartridge 10 is changed by rotating the second cartridge 20with the drive device, the rotational position of the second cartridge20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may be aligned so thatpositions of the adjacent chambers 21 may correspond to the position ofone of the delivery holes 11 as shown in FIG. 7 .

In FIG. 7 , each of two adjacent chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20may be arranged to overlap a region corresponding to half of one of thedelivery holes 11. The embodiments are not limited to the alignmentposition of the second cartridge 20, and a rotational position of thesecond cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may bealigned so that areas in which two adjacent chambers 21 overlap thedelivery holes 11 may be different from each other.

For example, when a life span associated with a function of passing anaerosol through the second material 22 contained in one of the twoadjacent chambers 21 reaches 20%, one of the two adjacent chambers 21may be arranged to overlap an area corresponding to approximately 80% ofthe delivery hole 11, and the other of the two adjacent chambers 21 maybe arranged to overlap an area corresponding to approximately 20% of thedelivery hole 11.

For example, when a life span associated with a function of passing anaerosol through the second material 22 contained in one of the twoadjacent chambers 21 reaches 60%, one of the two adjacent chambers 21may be arranged to overlap an area corresponding to approximately 40% ofthe delivery hole 11, and the other of the two adjacent chambers 21 maybe arranged to overlap an area corresponding to approximately 60% of thedelivery hole 11.

In addition, when a life span associated with a function of passing anaerosol through the second material 22 contained in one of the twoadjacent chambers 21 reaches 80%, one the two adjacent chambers 21 maybe arranged to overlap an area corresponding to approximately 20% of thedelivery hole 11, and the other of the two adjacent chambers 21 may bearranged to overlap an area corresponding to approximately 80% of thedelivery hole 11.

As described above, the life span associated with the function ofpassing aerosols through the second materials 22 contained in thechambers 21 may be considered to determine a previously determinedcondition used to change the relative positions of the first cartridge10 and the second cartridge 20 by using the controller.

In addition, as described above, when the second cartridge 20 is rotatedbased on the life span of the second material 22 of the chambers 21 tochange the area where the adjacent chambers 21 overlap the deliveryholes 11, the second cartridge 20 may be intermittently moved accordingto a change of time or the second cartridge 20 may be continuously movedaccording to a change of time.

As shown in FIG. 7 , according to a method in which a position ischanged so that the adjacent chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20overlap one of the delivery holes 11, while the second cartridge 20rotates about the first cartridge 10, the first cartridge 10 generatesan aerosol and continuously maintain an operation of allowing theaerosol to flow without stopping the operation of delivering the aerosolto the second cartridge 10.

In addition, by changing the relative positions of the first cartridge10 and the second cartridge 20, a chamber through which an aerosolpasses may be sequentially selected from among the plurality of chambers21. When the second cartridge 20 rotates by selecting a chamber throughwhich the aerosol passes from among the plurality of chambers 21, theposition of the previous chamber through which the aerosol currentlypasses may not immediately depart from the delivery hole 11, and anoperation of passing the aerosol through the previous chamber and asubsequent chamber simultaneously, which are subsequently aligned withthe position of the delivery hole 11 due to the rotational motion of thesecond cartridge 20 may be performed.

According to this operation method, while the relative positions of thefirst cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are changed,characteristics such as a temperature, humidity, and flavor of anaerosol delivered to a user are not rapidly changed, and thus, theaerosol may be supplied steadily and stably.

In addition, when the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge20 include the second materials 22 with different characteristics, theaerosol may pass through the adjacent chambers so that thecharacteristics such as ingredients and flavors of the aerosol may bechanged so that various types of aerosols may be provided to the user.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing some components of anaerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG.8 includes a first cartridge 10 that includes reservoirs 10 a and 10 beach being independently partitioned to accommodate a first material, asecond cartridge 20 coupled to the first cartridge 10 to be movablelinearly or laterally, and a drive device 60 that linearly or laterallymoves the second cartridge 20.

The first cartridge 10 may include passages 11 p and 11 q for deliveringan aerosol generated by being vaporized from the first materialaccommodated in each of the reservoirs 10 a and 10 b and delivery holes11 formed in an end of each of the passages 11 p and 11 q.

The first cartridge 10 may include a linear guide 10 t that surroundsupper portions of the delivery holes 11 and extends linearly, and thesecond cartridge 20 may include a rail 201 slidably coupled to thelinear guide 10 t. The second cartridge 20 may move linearly in anextension direction of the linear guide 10 t of the first cartridge 10.The second cartridge 20 may include a main body 20 t that isplate-shaped and that extends long along the extension direction of thelinear guide 10 t, and a plurality of chambers 20 a, 20 b, and 20 cwhich are sequentially arranged to be spaced apart along the extensiondirection of the main body 20 t.

In FIG. 8 , two reservoirs 10 a and 10 b are arranged, and threechambers 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c are arranged. However, the number ofreservoirs and the number of chambers may be variously changed.

The aerosol generating device may include a drive device 60 thatgenerates a drive force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10and the second cartridge 20. The drive device 60 may include a motor 61operated by an electrical signal and a gear 62 that transmits the driveforce of the motor 61 to the second cartridge 20. A gear surface 20 gmay be provided on one side of the main body 20 t of the secondcartridge 20.

In FIG. 8 , although the drive device 60 is illustrated as an electricmotor that generates a rotational force for rotating the gear 62, theembodiments are not limited by a type of the drive device 60. Forexample, the drive device 60 may include a permanent magnet linearlyarranged, a linear motor positioned to correspond to the permanentmagnet and including an electromagnet having an electric coil, or acylinder using the pressure of a fluid.

As the second cartridge 20 moves linearly, a position of any one of thechambers 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c of the second cartridge 20 may be alignedto correspond to a position of any one of the delivery holes 11. Inaddition, the position of one group among the chambers 20 a, 20 b, and20 c of the second cartridge 20 may be aligned to correspond to aposition of one of the two delivery holes 11, and at the same time, theposition of another group among the chambers 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c may bealigned to correspond to the position of the other one of the twodelivery holes 11.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart schematically showing a method of generating anaerosol performed by the aerosol generating device according to theembodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 .

The method of generating an aerosol according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 9 includes operation S100 of detecting an inhalation of a user,operation S110 of determining that the inhalation is detected andstarting an aerosol supply operation, and operation S120 of detecting arotational position of a second cartridge with respect to a firstcartridge, operation S130 of determining whether or not a signal of thedetected rotational position of the second cartridge is normal (e.g.,whether the amplitude of the signal or the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)of the signal of the detected rotation position of the second cartridgeis greater than a preset threshold value), operation S131 of adjustingthe rotational position of the second cartridge when the signal of therotational position is not normal, operation S140 of determining a typeof a medium currently used for supplying an aerosol based on the signalof the rotational position of the second cartridge (e.g. a type of asecond material) when the signal of the rotational position of thesecond cartridge is normal, operation S150 of determining at least oneof a target temperature for an operation of an atomizer and a heatingprofile for controlling a heating operation of the atomizer, based onthe determined type of medium, operation S160 of operating the atomizerbased on the target temperature or the heating profile, operation S170of detecting a current temperature and comparing the detectedtemperature with the target temperature, operation S180 of determiningwhether or not a previously determined condition is achieved, and whenthe condition is achieved, operation S190 of changing relative positionsof the first cartridge and the second cartridge.

The previously determined condition for changing the relative positionsof the first cartridge and the second cartridge may include a cumulativetime of a heating operation that a heater generates heat to generate anaerosol, or a combination of the cumulative time of the heatingoperation of the heater and a heating temperature of the heater.

Alternatively, the previously determined condition for changing therelative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge mayinclude any one or any combination of the number of puff operationsdetermined based on a signal detected by a puff sensor and a cumulativetime of a puff operation.

Alternatively, the previously determined condition for changing therelative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge mayinclude a usage time determined based on an input signal generated whenan input device receives an input of a user.

In operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the firstcartridge and the second cartridge, an usage chamber, among the chambersof the second cartridge, through which the aerosol currently passes maybe replaced so that the position of a subsequent chamber may be changedinto a position corresponding to a delivery hole of the first cartridge.Operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the first cartridgeand the second cartridge may be automatically performed by a drivedevice operated by a controller.

Operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the first cartridgeand the second cartridge may include an operation of notifying a user ofneeds to change positions of chambers when the previously determinedcondition is achieved, an operation of receiving an input signal whichis generated when the user operates an input device, and an operation ofchanging a position of at least one of the first cartridge and thesecond cartridge by operating the drive device based on the receivedinput operation.

When the relative positions of the first cartridge and the secondcartridge are changed, the usage chamber immediately depart from theposition corresponding to the delivery hole, and the subsequent chambermay be aligned with the delivery hole, and then an aerosol may passthrough the subsequent chamber as a new usage chamber, or the usagechamber and the subsequent chamber may perform an operation of passingthe aerosol temporarily together, and as time passes, only thesubsequent chamber may perform the operation of passing the aerosol asthe new usage chamber.

After operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the firstcartridge and the second cartridge, the process may return to operationS100 of detecting an inhalation of a user, and the above-describedoperations may be repeatedly performed.

Even when a first cartridge of an aerosol generating device is designedto accommodate a large amount of a first material, a second cartridgemay be automatically rotated by a drive device to select chambers usedfor supplying an aerosol, and thus, it is possible to obtain an effectof replacing a second material with a new second material withoutreplacing the second cartridge including the second material.

In addition, chambers of the second cartridge may include differenttypes of the second materials so that a user may select one of thechambers to select a desired second material, and thus, the user mayfreely enjoy aerosols with various flavors.

Those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodimentsmay understand that various changes in form and details can be madetherein without departing from the scope of the characteristics of thepresent disclosure. The disclosed methods should be considered in adescriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an aerosolgenerating device which may be conveniently carried and used because therelative positions of a first cartridge and a second cartridge areautomatically adjusted.

1. An aerosol generating device comprising: a first cartridge configuredto accommodate a first material therein and comprising a delivery holeconfigured to deliver an aerosol generated from the first material; asecond cartridge comprising a plurality of chambers for accommodating asecond material through which the aerosol delivered from the firstcartridge passes and is discharged to the outside, wherein a relativeposition of the first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge ischangeable so that at least one of the plurality of chambers correspondsto the delivery hole; a drive device configured to change the relativeposition of the first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge bymoving at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge; anda controller configured to change the relative position of the firstcartridge with regard to the second cartridge to cause the aerosol topass through the at least one of the plurality of chambers by operatingthe drive device when a previously determined condition is satisfied. 2.The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the first cartridgefurther comprises a heater configured to perform a heating operation toheat the first material, and the previously determined condition for thecontroller to operate the drive device comprises a cumulative time ofthe heating operation of the heater for generating the aerosol, or acombination of the cumulative time of the heating operation of theheater and a heating temperature of the heater.
 3. The aerosolgenerating device of claim 1, further comprising: a puff sensorconfigured to detect a change in fluid pressure or flow amount due to aflow of a fluid flowing inside the aerosol generating device, whereinthe previously determined condition for the controller to operate thedrive device comprises any one or any combination of a number of puffoperations determined based on a signal detected by the puff sensor anda cumulative time of the puff operations.
 4. The aerosol generatingdevice of claim 1, further comprising: a heater configured to perform aheating operation to heat the first material of the first cartridge; andan input device configured to generate an input signal by receiving aninput operation of a user for starting the heating operation of theheater, wherein the previously determined condition for the controllerto operate the drive device comprises a usage time determined based onthe input signal of the input device.
 5. The aerosol generating deviceof claim 1, wherein the first cartridge comprises a plurality ofreservoirs partitioned to each comprise the first material, and aplurality of delivery holes that are arranged to correspond to theplurality of reservoirs, respectively, and wherein the relative positionof the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is changedso that a position of the at least one of the plurality of chamberscorresponds to a position of any one of the plurality of delivery holes.6. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein any one of thefirst cartridge and the second cartridge is rotatably coupled to anotherone of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the drivedevice is further configured to rotate any one of the first cartridgeand the second cartridge.
 7. The aerosol generating device of claim 1,wherein any one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge iscoupled to another one of the first cartridge and the second cartridgeto be movable linearly, and the drive device is further configured tolinearly move any one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge.8. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, further comprising aninformation generator configured to notify a notification for a changein position of the plurality of chambers.
 9. The aerosol generatingdevice of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured tochange the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to thesecond cartridge so that a position of one of the plurality of chambersis aligned with a position of the delivery hole.
 10. The aerosolgenerating device of claim 1, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to change the relative position of the first cartridge withrespect to the second cartridge so that adjacent chambers of theplurality of chambers overlap the delivery hole at a same time.
 11. Theaerosol generating device of claim 1, further comprising: an aerosolgenerating assembly that comprises the first cartridge and the secondcartridge that are integrally coupled, and a case that comprises anaccommodation passage that accommodates the aerosol generating assembly.12. The aerosol generating device of claim 11, wherein the aerosolgenerating assembly further comprises a heater installed in the firstcartridge to heat the first material, and the case further comprises anelectric terminal connected to the heater to supply power.
 13. Theaerosol generating device of claim 11, wherein the case furthercomprises a heater for heating the first material supplied from thesecond cartridge of the aerosol generating assembly accommodated in theaccommodation passage.